Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The point I am making is that there is no obligation on the board to inform anybody. Surely, there should be a mechanism in section 4 which obligates the board to inform the Minister or some relevant body the reasons for any delays. The phrase "as soon as practicable" means "as far as the board is concerned". There must be some obligation. I am not saying the board must have everything done within three or four months, but it should be obliged to inform the Minister as to why a certain issue is delayed. It is open-ended. The board has not been proactive in other areas. The board has attended the committee and we have asked it these questions. It has been far from proactive about analysing prescription-only versus over-the-counter drugs.